De Havilland DHC-8-102 N828MA
20 February 1997 · Romulus, Michigan, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 20 February 1997 at about 15:27 local time, a De Havilland DHC-8-102 registered N828MA, operated by Mesaba Airlines, was involved in an incident near Romulus, Michigan, United States. 26 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:27
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Romulus, Michigan, United States
- Coordinates
- 42.2291, -83.3890
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-8-102
- Registration
- N828MA
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Mesaba Airlines
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Knoxville
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI97IA073
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 |
Probable cause
a fractured fusion weld in the piston of the roll spoiler servoactuator, which allowed the plug at the base of the piston to separate and jam the piston. A factor relating to the incident was: the inadequate design of the airplane's roll spoiler servoactuator piston.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The captain said that after departure, 'the first officer needed excessive right wing down trim to maintain a wings level attitude. The left outboard roll spoiler indicated approximately one-half deployment on the PFCS (Powered Flight Controlled Surfaces).' The crew maintained control of the airplane with trim and control wheel input. The crew declared an emergency, returned to the airport, and landed the airplane without further incident. A postincident inspection revealed that the left outboard roll spoiler was 'deployed approximately half-way.' An examination and disassembly of the roll spoiler servoactuator revealed that a plug (PN A50993-1), which had been fusion-welded into the base of the piston (PN A50992-1), had separated and lodged itself between the base of the piston and the shims, restricting the piston's movement. Dowty Aerospace (the manufacturer) had recorded seven previous failures of fusion welds in pistons on DHC-8 roll spoiler servoactuators before this incident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other De Havilland DHC-8 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Feb 1997 | De Havilland DHC-8-311 | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States | Mesa Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jan 1997 | De Havilland DHC-8-102 | Charleston, West Virginia, United States | Mesaba Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 1997 | De Havilland DHC-8 | Wenatchee, Washington, United States | Horizon Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 16 Dec 1996 | De Havilland DHC-8 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Aloha Islandair Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 1995 | De Havilland DHC-8-102 | Moline, Illinois, United States | Mesaba Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1994 | De Havilland DHC-8-311 | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | Atlantic Coast Airlines | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 1997 | Cessna 172P | Fowlerville, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 1997 | Dietrich NIEUPORT 12 | Byron, Michigan, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 1997 | Cessna 170B | Karlin, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 6 Jul 1997 | Piper PA-18 | Middleville, Michigan, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 7 Jul 1997 | Piper PA-17 | Cadillac, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 1997 | Piper PA-34-200 | MacKinac Island, Michigan, United States | - | No injuries | - |